Pont aux Amoureux/Lovers’ Lane [English]

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This type of location is a global phenomenon. It is present in many cities and villages, whether hidden from sight or tied to architecture, such as bridges and gardens. There are many variations, from the poetic Bridge of Sighs in Venice and Lovers’ Bridge in Paris, to the no less picturesque Rang des Bobettes (Underpants Row) in Jonquière, Chemin de la Dompe¹ (Dump Road) in Rouyn-Noranda, and Îles aux Fesses (Butt Islands) in Drummondville.

The expression “Lover’s Lane” appeared for the first time in 1853 in the Oxford English Dictionary,² as for the Bridge of Sighs in Venice, it earned its sentimental feel in an 1812 poem by Lord Byron³ (before this, the sighs had been associated with the complaints of prisoners crossing the bridge toward their jail in their last moments of freedom).⁴ These references from the Romantic era provide insight into the imagery that the names evoke.

American historian Carl Baehr links the term “Lovers’ Lane” to the automobile culture. As the automobile grew increasingly affordable from the 1920s onwards, lovebirds could go for a drive together and slip away to secluded spots.⁵ He notes that nowadays these places are disappearing across America, due to urbanization, urban sprawl and densification. “But underneath the asphalt, there are still many memories of people who found love, on or off the lanes.”⁶

New Carlisle is quite particular in that other methods of transport seem to have contributed to the emergence of the term “Pont des Amoureux” (Lovers’ Bridge).⁷ In the 1850s, cruise ships began bringing tourists to the Gaspé Peninsula.⁸ With the construction of the train station in 1898, the town was transformed into a resort for the upper classes, and the lakes to the northeast became a tourist attraction, where several luxury cottages were then built. ⁹ “High society went there. […] The women wore their beautiful, big hats.” ¹⁰ As such, romanticism and the relationship to nature seem to be tightly linked to the symbolism of the location, as is traditional with Lovers’ Lanes.

In the 19th century, New Carlisle was described as “a town in the countryside.”¹¹ Did this dual character contribute to the emergence of the place name?

DÉCOUVRIR > tous les lieux-dits de cette ville

AUDIO

[FRENCH] Interview with Marc Babin, April 11, 2025.

“You used to be able to drive over the bridge.”

Interview with Robert Munroe, Lynden Béchervaise and Marc Babin, April 11, 2025.

“There were three lakes over there.”

NOTES

¹ As sung by Richard Desjardins in his song Un beau grand slow.

² Oxford English Dictionary online, s. v. “Lover’s Lane”, accessed on January 26, 2026, oed.com/dictionary/lovers-lane_n. 

³ « Pont des Soupirs : histoire, légendes et curiosités sur le pont des Amoureux », Palais des Doges, accessed on January 26, 2026, palaisdesdoges.com/pont-des-soupirs-venise.

⁴ George Gordon Byron, « Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage [I stood in Venice] », Poets.org (Academy of American Poets), accessed on January 26, 2026. poets.org/poem/childe-harolds-pilgrimage-i-stood-venice.

⁵ Andrew Hahn et Eva Wen, “More than 40 Wisconsin communities have a ‘Lovers Lane.’ Here are their stories”, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel,  updated March 4, 2024, jsonline.com/story/life/green-sheet/2024/02/14/44-wisconsin-communities-have-a-lovers-lane-here-are-there-stories/72529392007/#:~:text=%22The%20story%20goes%20that%20young,lovers%20the%20privacy%20they%20desire.

⁶ Ibid.

⁷ The expression “pont aux Amoureux” is used in the document Conservation et mise en valeur du patrimoine de New Carlisle, author unknown (n.d.), self-published. More specifically, it states: “Une parcelle de terre séparait le lac Blanc du Petit Lac, et le pont qui y était construit — qui est aujourd’hui démoli — s’appelait le ‘pont aux amoureux’ ”. 

⁸ Sophie Turbide, “Le Centre culturel et d’interprétation Kempffer : un aperçu de notre exposition permanente”, Réseau du patrimoine anglophone du Québec, accessed on January 26, 2026, qahn.org/fr/exhibit/le-centre-culturel-et-dinterpretation-kempffer-une-apercu-de-notre-exposition-permanente. 

⁹ erudit.org/en/journals/mgaspesie/2022-v59-n2-mgaspesie07124/99514ac.pdf

¹⁰ Marc Babin, story collected by the artist, April 11, 2025.

¹¹ Quote from Jean-Baptiste-Antoine Ferland (l’abbé Ferland), 1836, taken from : Banque des noms de lieux du Québec (Commission de toponymie du Québec), s. v. “New Carlisle / Antaguejuigtug”, accessed on January 26, 2026, toponymie.gouv.qc.ca/ct/ToposWeb/Fiche.aspx?no_seq=142200.

IMAGES

1. and 3. to 5. Marie-Claude De Souza, 2026.

2. T.J. Caldwell publisher, front of a postcard « Long Lake Bridge, New Carlilse, P.Q. », [19–]. Bibliothèque nationale, online, 2642074.